WHO hopes COVID will no longer be emergency next year

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he is "hopeful" that the COVID-19 pandemic will no longer be considered a global emergency some time next year.

His comments at a briefing with media come as China dismantles its rigid "zero-COVID" policy and allows people to live with the virus, stirring concerns the world's No.2 economy faces a surge in infections.

A WHO body meets every few months to decide whether the new coronavirus, which emerged three years ago in China's Wuhan and has killed more than 6.6 million people, still represents a "public health emergency of international concern" (PHEIC).

The designation is intended to trigger a coordinated international response and could unlock funding to collaborate on sharing vaccines and treatments.